A2 Media Studies

1. THEORETICAL
RESEARCH

2. Aims
 The point of me doing this presentation is to
investigate the different theories that I can
apply to my production in the future
 I will also be linking these theories to my
production
 The theories I will be investigating are-
audience theories, marxist theory,
postmodernism and feminist theory

3. Marxist Theory
 Introduced by Karl Marx in the late 1848 in his
Communist Manifesto.
 His theory is one of the most studied and
discussed.
 Marxist theory surrounds a few points:
 Everybody is equal
 Capitalism is evil and corrupts the people’s minds
 The government should protect it’s people and not
oppress them
 However in the film industry, they are revised and
are often seen in films.

4.  The ideologies that are often seen are the
following:
 Minorities and every individual do matter and
everyone can help make a difference to create a
better world
 Effort will be rewarded with something
 Drugs, alcohol, sex are often censored and
shamed. People are encourage to stay away from
the unknown.
 Evil will be exposed, people who do bad things
would have to suffer.

5.  In my magazine, I would support a few of his ideas, because Leicester is a
multicultural city and is made up of a lot of minorities ethic groups. Even
though they are difference from locals, they also help out to make Leicester
a better place.
 However in a way, I’m deifying the theory because I’m undermining the
traditional idea of dominance of the status quo by celebrating cultural
difference.
 They are also trying to blend it and are working hard to support themselves.
 The reason why I’m supporting a few of his ideologies is mainly because I
hope that people would have an idea that Leicester a colorful and vibrant
city; everyone is welcomed.
 This will influence my double page spread, because I’m planning on doing
an interview with 2 people whom opened up a successful bar/café despite
their different upbringings and cultures.
 I hope after my readers read the magazine will think that everyone will be
rewarded and people can earn success after hard work.
 However, since my readers are sophisticated, they are more accepting to
minorities and people with difference cultural background due a more open
minded society, they are not considered as blindly injected with information.

6. Gramsci’s and Adorno’s
ideology

7. Gramsci- Cultural Hegemony
 Antonio Gramsci introduced Cultural Hegemony at a
similar time when Karl Marx introduced his idea of the
Marxist theory.
 The two theories are quite similar but cultural
hegemony is taken to a more extreme state, where
people are expected the blindly accept information
they are given without thinking or challenging
 The reason being is that the people who are at the
highest on the social hierarchy can maintain their
position without people disrupting peace and also
challenging them.
 People are expected to behave, think in a certain way
as the dominate group has already set an example to
the people whom are at the lower part of the social
ladder.

8.  There is some hegemony is my magazine, as I’m
advertising my product and also other products in
my magazine. And by distracting readers, I would
have them focus on the product advertisements
they are given.
 Hence, they would be interested in the product,
and forget or will not question more important
issues that still exist. For example, the distribution
of power in society, because the minorities group
aren’t able to go up the social ladder due to their
differences and are sometime alienated.

9. Adorno’s theory- Cultural
industry
 Theodor Adorno suggested that as people consume or enjoy
entertainment, they are distracted by what is present in the
society which sometimes can be social issues or stigmas that
are present within the society.
 But because of certain types of entertainment, the audience
will forget the existing problem, and probably change their
perspective on something after consuming the entertainment.
 Certain films, books or shows are designed to make people
feel or think a certain way because they hope that people will
blindly inject the information they are given.
 This is present in my production, and is use to distract my
readers with the existing problems and important issues that
are still present within the society. By doing that, I would have
advertisements of products and things that distracts my
readers.

10. Feminist Theory

11.  During the 1960’s, America had a female social movement, which they are
hoping for equal opportunities and portrayal of females in films.
 The stereotypical image of females are usually quite negative.
 Females are objectified and are portrayed as sexual objects where men
find pleasure when seeing. (Male gaze)
 Females are usually portrayed as passive and powerless characters whom
rely on men.
 While males are portrayed as attractive, active and powerful where the
story surrounds them instead of the female.
 Females sometimes are considered as an distraction to men or usually are
failures due to their physical attributes.
 However, as society is changing, people are slowly understanding that
females can also be as smart, hardworking and also as powerful than
males.
 More and more films are starting to destroy traditional ideologies of females
by making them as female leads and empowering them.

12.  I’m planning to place two females as owners of
a successful café/bar in Leicester.
 I’m hoping to portray them as well respected
females that can also establish their own
business without the help of men.
 Despite estblishing this alone, I’m hoping to
create a image that both genders are equal.
 Even though they are females, they can also
do all things males can do and are also
capable.

13. Postmodernism

14.  Postmodernism is “a style or concept in the arts
characterized by distrust of theories and
ideologies and by the drawing of attention to
conventions.”
 This means that because we are situated in
modern world, and constantly immersed in the
media, we are not able to identify the difference
between reality and what’s not. In fact, the media
is the new reality.
 Because of that, a lot of stigmas and regimes are
built up. People often critise certain things without
knowing what’s reality.
 Reality is often mixed up as information is not told
completely the same.

15. Simulacrum- Jean Baudrillard
 Baudrillard believes that due to difference types of thinking
(marxism, structuralism, etc.), and also transitioning into different
generations, people sometimes get confused in what to believe in.
 Simulacrum is a representation image or presence that devices the
product of simulation which is different from reality.
 A stimulation is the active process of replacing what is real.
 The image is first introduced which reflects a profound reality, then it
starts to mask a profound reality, and slowly, the image has no
image has no relation to any reality.
 The causes of that is due to the media mediating our experience
without us noticing that reality is completely difference. An example
would be the American Dream which is created by the media that
America is the prospective and comfortable place where everyone
wants to go. However, there are also situations where people have
to face and they have to face hardships as well. The media
conceals this completely and turns realty around.

16.  Leicester is now seen as “non-British” due to it’s
popularity with immigrants. It is shown that it has lost
it’s own culture due to the it being a multicultural
place.
 “Make Leicester British” by Toby Campion, (finalist at
the Poetry Slam 2015) discuses it’s problem of people
not finding Leicester British due to it being a
multicultural.
 “They are painting you into a picture that does not
exist” shows that the media is creating a image of
Leicester that it’s has lost it’s value.
 However, this poems welcomes and praises the fact
the Leicester is multicultural and is hoping that people
are accepting immigrants.

17.  As explained, in order to embrace the fact that
Leicester still has it’s value and because of that it
has a new culture that is special.
 I’m hoping to present Leicester as a vibrant and
colorful city which welcomes everyone.
 I’m also hoping to show sides of Leicester which
people tend to not notice or forget.
 I’m planning to take my cover photo in Leicester
market, where people tend to forget and not go.
However, there are many kinds of goods which
are worth looking at and worth discovering.